Lawyer stresses role of mother-tongue education in protecting identity

October 25, 2026 - 03:37

A lawyer focused on cultural and civil rights and human rights has stressed that mother-tongue education plays a central role in shaping students' personalities, building a sense of national belonging and developing their abilities. He said the mother tongue represents a people's identity along with their historical and cultural heritage, and argued that instruction in a first language is not a secondary concern but a foundation for how students understand themselves and their place in society.

The lawyer called for the right to education in Kurdish to be guaranteed at the constitutional level and applied across all academic levels, from primary school through higher education. In his view, protecting that right is part of protecting cultural identity more broadly, and limiting instruction in the mother tongue weakens both individual development and the transmission of heritage between generations.

He framed the issue as a matter of rights rather than preference, saying constitutional protection would give the principle legal weight and make it harder to ignore in practice. The remarks add to the continuing discussion over language policy in education and the role schools play in preserving cultural identity.